The gala’s live and silent auctions brought together 200 of Seattle’s premier music and art supporters and luminaries and raised over $109,000 for The Vera Project’s all-ages music and education programming. Auction items included an opportunity to create your own ice cream sundae for Molly Moon’s to feature for a weekend, an exclusive autographed Pearl Jam poster, a whiskey workshop at Oola Distillery catered by Madres Kitchen, a private party in The Comet Tavern’s Cloud Room and a framed print from body-positive photographer Ashley Armitage. Guests also entered for a chance to win Seattle’s best raffle prize: $1200 to spend at Linda Dercshang’s bars and restaurants.

Then, in celebration of Vera and Napster’s joint birthdays, we opened up the dance floor to the whole Vera family at an all-ages “Sweet 16” after-party presented by Napster and DJ’d by Reverend Dollars [Darqness, Soul-Fi].

“This year’s gala was the best one yet,” said Tim Lennon, Vera’s Executive Director. “Our volunteers got a chance to show the community what makes The Vera Project so vital in so many ways and everyone in attendance had a blast. We are overwhelmed by the generosity and community spirit we felt–folks turned out and turned up!”

The keynote speaker, 18 year-old Maya DeAvilla, received a standing ovation after speaking to the audience about Vera’s impact on her sense of self: “The Vera Project is important to me because it gave me a sense of identity and significance, the freedom to develop and positively express myself in a creative environment. Now more than ever, I feel so empowered, and I truly can’t thank The Vera Project enough for giving me a space to share my passions, and continually helping reach my goals.”

The Vera Project is more than a music venue, more than a classroom; Vera fosters an environment in which people of all ages can connect with each other, learn to work in music and arts production, and become leaders in their communities. Vera offers concerts, classes in silk screening, concert sound, DJing, music journalism, and lighting production, and offers opportunities for young people to get involved in every level of arts programming, management, and organizational leadership. For more information visit www.theveraproject.org or contact Development Coordinator Katherine Humphreys at katherineh@theveraproject.org